Education is not a right - it is a market commodity. It seems proper to me that you would pay for the skills that you need in order to make an income in the future. Don't carpenters pay for the tools and hardware they will use to make a profit? Don't vendors pay for the goods they will sell and rents for locations they will sell from?

And coming from college students - you would expect these kids with higher education to be able to logically reason through all of this. But no - entitlement culture prevails again.

11:35 am March 2, 2012

JS wrote:

I'm sorry, JP. Have I been living under a rock? Since when did carptenters shell out $40,000+ a year for tools and hardware? I'm sorry but that is not a good example. However, I cannot argue with you that education in this country is a market commodity. That is an unfortunate truth. However, there is a serious braindrain going on in this country due to hikes in educational costs. Institutions like Mount Holyoke College are taking positive steps to freeze their tuition while still keeping a balanced budget and high approval from faculty/staff. I would like to see collaboration on all fronts (the Fed and public/private institutions working together). To echo the article “You can’t get out of poverty if you can’t go to school, and if you go to school and you end up in poverty.” My opinion is that swift and decisive action needs to take place to lower the costs of higher education in this country.

3:43 pm March 2, 2012

CS wrote:

The right to a quality education is -- or should be -- a basic human right. To reserve knowledge for only those who can afford it is to uphold an unfair system that shuts down equal opportunity for all our citizens. The real "entitlement culture" is based on the idea that being lucky enough to be born into a wealthier family means you have a greater right to college and all its associated socio-economic advantages. It's only the wealthiest citizens who are socially permitted to free-load off their families (all the while accusing working people of laziness, of course). Education should be available and attainable for everyone, regardless of income. That's the only way to have an informed citizenry that is the backbone of a truly democratic society.

4:55 pm March 3, 2012

NursePolitica wrote:

It has become clear that the 1% is not at all interested in having American children become "informed citizenry" and what is happening across this country is an outright travesty in terms of student loans and diminishing educational opportunities for working Americans. We have seen the 1% attempt to control who teaches and what they teach in our universities across this country. The educational system in America mirrors that of health care! Quality education and quality health are for the privileged. It is utterly shameful in a so-called democracy to witness such inequality. I have begun to believe that it is not just about the 1%, but it is also about the fraction of Americans who sit back in their comfort zones, remain ignorant as to what is happening in our country, and care only about themselves. Thus we have the blatant greedy Americans and the slothful, self-centered Americans who believe that their jobs are secure, that their own children will not suffer the consequences of a building corporatocracy. Until we all stand up for what used to be right and just about America, we will move towards full scale revolution. It is so wearisome to listen to Hillary Clinton and Obama talk about what is happening to protesters in other countries and IGNORE that our own non-violent OWS protesters are being brutalized on the streets, arrested and permanently scarred with criminal records. It is beyond abominable! Each and everyday we must fight back the political extremist right and all those comfortable Americans who choose to remain ignorant! Unfortunately, I have these type of folks right in my own family. When Americans stop caring about each other, we are even more in danger of losing human rights. OWS is here to stay and we need to be a part of this movement to change the dangerous course we have been on for a very long time!

5:43 pm March 10, 2012

Anonymous wrote:

My prediction.

In five years massive teacher shortages will cause a national service bill to pass both houses of congress.

Wendy Kopp opposes the new teacher evaluations since her candidates are not looking to be career teachers and are afraid of being identified in the newspapers as failures.

It is likely that this kind of branding or pilloring could destroy future job prospects.

Make no doubt, the right wing has worked very very hard to denigrate and culturally demote the art of teaching in this country.

And now look at this place. We are down and almost out. It is every man for himself.

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